CFP: [20th] Edited Collection on Anne Enright

Anne Enrightâ€™s recent Man Booker win for her fourth novel, The Gathering,has further increased the visibility of a writer whose work has alwaysattracted a large amount of public attention, both in terms of literaryreviews and press interviews, as well as through her array of literaryaccolades. However, surprisingly, such recognition has not been matched inthe academic realm. There is a sustained absence of critical materialexamining her work in the fields of contemporary Irish fiction,contemporary fiction in general, and feminist studies alike. The reasonsfor such critical invisibility may be due to the experimentation of herliterary style and an absence of theoretical paradigms through which toincorporate the experimental and the feminine in the Irish context.Traditionally, the space of experiment in the Irish canon has been mainlyattributed to male writers and Enrightâ€™s work troubles such associationsThis volume seeks to redress this imbalance by affording her work abook-length survey. Enright is one of the most innovative and experimentalwriters in Ireland today whose work encompasses a wide range of genres,themes, and interests. Her recent recognition by the Man Booker judges, theforthcoming publication of her second collection of short stories, and herincisive engagement fictionally with Celtic Tiger Ireland prove this to bea timely moment to critically explore her novels, short stories,journalism, and non-fiction. The editors are particularly interested inessays that focus on her style, her situation in a postmodern andexperimental tradition in Irish and/or non-Irish writing, her engagementwith culture and social change, tradition and modernity, memory, and genderand sexuality, but are open to any theme or theoretical perspective.

Deadline for Submissions: Abstracts due July 2008, Essays due February 2009

Queries and submissions should be sent to Dr Claire Bracken (Union College,NY) and Dr Susan Cahill (University College Dublin) atreading.anne.enright_at_gmail.com